So for those that don’t know, I’ve moved into a new apartment. My old place was kind of a tiny hole, which was exacerbated by the pile of bikes that lived in my kitchen. We had 3 or 4 bikes leaned up against the wall, in various states of disrepair. I scribbled up some plans for a vertical rack with legs to support it, but never built anything.

A few months back, I saw this online, and figured I could build one cheaper.

Here are some pics of my version.

It took about 30 minutes to slap together. It’s a 2×4, cut to about 7’7″. I drilled a hole in one end and screwed in a long lag screw. I just unthreaded the screw to tension the 2×4 against the block at the top. The bikes are held by some stud hooks that I found at Home Depot. They slide over the 2×4 crosspieces, and hold really well. The entire project cost about $15.

I have to credit my dad with the idea of using a lag screw to tension the rack. I was hashing out much more complicated (read expensive) solutions; this is real slick.

It’s rock-solid, as well. I was a little worried about stability, but it’s not going anywhere. As you can see, the construction is pretty rough. I could make it prettier, but this is functional.

[...] I know what you’re thinking. “Didn’t I see this somewhere else? Maybe some super-popular site, with millions of hits every day?” You’d be correct; I originally posted this at mike.sapak.info. [...]

You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s the ugliest, most kludged together thing I’ve ever seen! I just bought two wall-mounted folding racks from a local sporting goods store for $9.99 each. Two screws to install each unit.

Sure. A lag screw is just a heavy screw with a hex head. You use a wrench or socket to drive it, rather than a screwdriver.

First I drilled a vertical pilot hole in the top of the rack. Then I drove the lag screw almost all the way in. Then I stood the rack in position, and had my girlfriend hold the horizontal piece against the ceiling. I unscrewed the lag screw until it pressed tight against the horizontal piece.

You can’t really see it, but I drilled a shallow hole in the horizontal piece, to keep the lag screw head from sliding. I also covered the top of the horizontal piece in rubbery non-slip cloth. The bottom of the main rack has some screw-in feet to keep it from sliding. These things might be optional, but I felt like they helped.

How do you “unscrewed the lag screw until it pressed tight against the horizontal piece”? It seems to me you can drive the lag screw only from the top of the hex head. Thank you very much again for the information.

I just used a crescent wrench to unscrew it. If you don’t have a crescent wrench or an open-end wrench, you could probably use a pair of vice-grip pliers to grab the shaft of the screw. A wrench would be the easiest, however.

Buckminster Fusher on
November 14th, 2008 11:27 am

Mike,

I liked the design and the price and I have a similar situation myself where I’m not allowed to mount to the wall.

I built two, but using 1×6 and 2×6 scraps from a construction dumpster to fashions “hooks” to hold the bike. Saved money, but way more time. Also, instead of the lag screw I used salvaged casters and threaded inserts, primarily because I had the casters laying around. Anyway, I was into things for less than 3 bucks each, plus screws and wood glue I already had.

Besides complimenting your design/idea, I was curious how yours has held up. I was wondering if the 2×4 has warped under the weight/tension over time.

Glad it worked out for you. I was only in that apartment for 8 months, so it wasn’t exactly a long-term experiment. However, I had no problems with warping at all. I was actually amazed at how well the thing held up. After about a week, I gave the screw a bit more tension, just to be sure. After that, I didn’t make a single change. I checked on it every month or two, but it never slipped or sagged once.

I’ll definitely use this design again. With a bit more care and some finish work, I think it could be attractive as well as functional.

[...] Avoid paying for pricey bike mounts with some DIY offerings, like a few tension cables, a very cheap, board-based version, a modification of an IKEA storage pole, and that pole’s carpet-friendly cousin. (Original [...]

[...] Avoid paying for pricey bike mounts with some DIY offerings, like a few tension cables, a very cheap, board-based version, a modification of an IKEA storage pole, and that pole’s carpet-friendly cousin. (Original [...]

[...] Avoid paying for pricey bike mounts with some DIY offerings, like a few tension cables, a very cheap, board-based version, a modification of an IKEA storage pole, and that pole’s carpet-friendly cousin. (Original [...]

It’s a cool idea, but think you’re overdoing it with that lag-screw-tension thing. Consider the physics of the problem. The vast majority of the force is going straight down through the upright. As long as the upright is resting on the floor, you could simply cleat it to the wall (stud) with a half dozen 3″ screws. Don’t believe me? Temporarily put the bikes on the unit and hold it against the wall. I’ll bet you can hold it there with 1 finger…

Another way to tension it to ceiling is to get a threaded rod (I used 1/2″) and put it in place of the lag screw. To create tension, add bolts, lock washers, and washers to push away from one another. This is a little confusing to describe but if you design it correctly, the bolt/nut design will allow you to vary from different height ceilings more than a lag screw would. Maybe I will post my idea on my page when I am done.

And you thought your rack is ghetto. I am using scrap lumber from an old pallet!

Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of DIY Bike Rack : mike.sapak.info . Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely return.

[...] A bike takes a lot of space in a home and most often that space could be used for something else. But if zou hang the ike on the wall, then the problem gets solved. It wonşt take zou more than 30 minutes to complete this simple project. Zou need a 2×4 cut to the siye you want. Drill a home in one end and insert a long lag screw. Add some stud hooks and you’re done.{found on mike}. [...]

Absolutely, feel free to share! I now store my bikes in the garage, but over the past several years I’ve built three different versions of these racks for apartments. I’ve probably spent a total of $50 on all three combined. They can be as pretty or as ugly as you care to make them, they do no damage to walls, floors or ceilings, and they’re very solid.

I do have to recommend tightening up the lag screw after the first couple weeks, and checking it again a few times per year. They can have a tendency to loosen a bit as the wood ages or as the seasons change.

I made one of these racks last night and it works great! Two things, though…

First, thanks to inflation, the cost is actually about 20 bucks or so.

Second, I made a minor modification by installing a ‘T’ nut on the top of the upright 2×4. This allowed me to use a regular 3/8″x3.5″ bolt as the tensioner screw. The ‘T’ nut allows you to really get the tension good and tight.

That’s a great idea. We just moved into a downtown apartment without a garage, so I’ve recently built another one of these as well.

I’ve changed my design slightly over the years. I now use a 2×6 instead of a 2×4, and 2 lag screws instead of 1. I also lay a short piece of 2×4 under the bottom of the 2×6, and toe-screw the upright into this footer. The result seems to flex less, maintain tension better, and the upright doesn’t rotate (a minor annoyance with previous versions).